Cigarette-machine.



No. 779,431. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

P. A. LAWLBSS.

CIGARETTE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1903.

I 0 aa I /0 v I] 19 29 3/ l l 20 I I I 3 I} I 27 3/ 3 v 1 v UNITEDSTATES Patented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

PETER A. LAI/VLESS, OF NE YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TOBACCOCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CIGARETTE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,431, dated January10, 1905.

Application filed June 2, 1903. Serial No, 159,763.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER A. LAwLEss, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, county of New York, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigarette-hIachines, fully described and represented in the following specificationand the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to cigarette-machines of that class by which acontinuous wrapperstrip is wrapped around a continuous fillerrod oftobacco and the edges joined together to form a continuouscigarette-rod, which is afterward cut into cigarette lengths.

More particularly, the invention relates to means for forming a pastedseam by which the edges of the wrapper-strip are secured together; andthe invention aims to provide means whereby a smooth and secure seam maybe formed with a narrow lapping of the edges of the wrapper-strip andwith the machine operating at a very high speed.

The invention has been made especially with the idea of its applicationto machines for forming flattened or elliptical cigarettes, although itmay be found useful in connection with machines for forming the usualround cigarettes.

Much difficulty has been experienced heretofore with machines for makingoval cigarettes with a narrow pasted seam due to the imperfect formationand the breaking open of the seam when the machine is run at a highspeed. To avoid this difliculty, I provide in accordance with thepresent invention aheated pressing or ironing bar or rib mounted inposition to bear against the pasted wrapperseam as the cigarette-rodadvances from the wrapping-tube or wrapping device. In connection withsuch aheated ironing-bar I preferably provide a closed setting channel,through which the cigarette passes after the edges of the wrapper-striphave been folded over the filler-rod and pressed together to form thecigarette-rod.

A full understanding of the invention can best be given by a detaileddescription of a preferred construction embodying the various featuresthereof, and such description will now be given in connection with theaccompanying drawings, showing such a preferred construction.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of acontinuous-rod-cigarette machine as is concerned with the presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a side view, partly broken away and on an enlargedscale, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asectional View taken on line 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a still furtherenlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line A of Fig. 2. Fig. 5is a detail sectional. view taken on line 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is anenlarged longitudinal sectional view of a suitable form of burner-tube.

Referring to the drawings, 10 represents a wrappingtube for folding thecontinuous wrapper-strip about the filler-rod of tobacco to form acontinuous cigarette rod. This wrapping-tube may be of any suitableconstruction; but the particular form of tube shown is that shown in anapplication filed by me April 20, 1903, Serial No. 153,L83, it beingformed by a rod or bar 11, having a longitudinal groove in the upperside and provided with overlying guide-pieces and cover-pieces to turnthe two side edges of the wrapperstrip inward to overlap on thefiller-rod of tobacco and to press and smooth the cigarette rod thusformed. A'suitable pasting apparatus 12, having a paste-applying disk13, is provided for applying a line of paste to one edge of thewrapper-strip. This pasted edge of the wrapper-strip is then folded downand pressed against the previously-folded edge of the wrapper-strip, asthe wrapper-strip and filler-rod pass beneath a guide 1 1, formed by agrooved cap secured to the bar 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and which,with the groove of the bar 11, forms a closed channel-way. At its rearend the guide 14: is provided .with a pressure-tongue 15, adjustable, asby means of a screw 16, for bearing with greater or less pressure on thepasted seam as the cigaretterod issues from beneath the guide 1 1. Thegrooved bar 11 extends beyond the guide 14 and is covered by a removablegrooved cappiece 17 to form a setting-channel through which thecigarette-rod passes after leaving the guide 14 and tongue 15. Thecap-piece 17 is provided with side grooves 18 to form passage-ways forthe edges of the feedingtape 1 by which the wrapper-strip is fed throughthe wrapping-tube, the edges of the tape being turned outward away fromthe cigarette-rod as the cigarette-rod passes from the guide 14: to thecap-piece 17. This wrapping-tube is more fully shown and described in mysaid application, Serial No. 153,483.

After leaving the setting-channel the feeding-tape y turns abouta pulley20 and thence returns to the guide-roll 21. from which it moves forwardagain through the wrappingtube. The pulley 20 is located a shortdistance beyond the rear end of the setting-channel and with itsuppermost portion substantially horizontally in line with the.bottom ofthe groove of the bar 11. The cigarette-rod as it issues from thesetting-channel advances with the tape 1 to the pulley 20 and thencepasses to suitable cutting and delivering mechanism, as usual inmachines of this class.

Mounted to bear against the wrapper-seam as the cigarette-rod advancesfrom the settingchannel is an ironing-rib 25, which in the constructionshown projects downward from a bar 26. Any suitable means maybe providedfor heating the rib 25; but preferably and as shown the bar 26 carries atubular hood 27, into which projects the flame from a Bunsenburner tube28, supported by an arm 29, projecting from the bar 26, the hood 27being preferably provided with series of air-inlet openings 30. Theironing-rib is preferably mounted so as to bear against the wrapperseamfrom -a point just beyond the setting channel to a point over the centerof the pulley 20; but it will be understood that this position of theironing device may be changed somewhat without departing from theinvention. The bar 26 is carried by an arm 31, pivotally mounted in abracket 32, so that the ironing device may be readily thrown up and backaway from the cigarette-rod, as will be readily understood from Fig. 3,thus permitting the machine to be started and the ironing device to bemoved into operating position whenever desired and to be readily removedout of position when this is desirable for any purpose. A suitable stopis provided for limiting the downward movement of the arm 31, andthereby holding the ironing device in position for the proper contact ofthe rib 25 with the cigarette-seam. An adjustable stop is preferablyprovided, so that the position of the ironing-rib may be adjusted tocause it to bear with greater or less pressure on the cigarette-rod orto accommodate cigarette-rods of different sizes. For this purpose anadjustable screw-stop 33 is preferably provided on the arm 31 inposition to bear against a shoulder 34 on the bracket 32.

By the construction shown the bearing-face of the ironing-rib being ofless width than the cigarette-rod proper contact of the ironing devicewith the pasted wrapper-seam may be secured, and by such contact theseam is quickly dried and the paste set as the cigaretterod issues fromthe setting-channel. I am thus enabled by my invention to form acigaretterod with a narrow pasted'seam with the machine running at avery-high rate of speed and at the same time to secure a very perfectand smooth scam, the ironing-rib acting not only to dry the seam, butalso to iron and smooth the seam as the cigarette-rod passes beneath it.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to theexact construction or arrangement of parts as shown in the drawings andto which the foregoing description has been mainly confined, but thatthe invention includes changes and modifications thereof within theclaims.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a cigarette-wrapping tube forfolding a continuous wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of a heatedseam-ironing device having a bearing-face of a width less than the widthof the cigarette-rod for bearing on the wrapper-seam as the cigaretterodadvances from the wrapping-tube, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a cigarette-wrapping tube for folding acontinuous wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of an ironing-ribextendinglongitudinally of the cigarette-rod and having a bearing-faceof a width less than the width of the cigarette-rod for bearing on thewrapper-seam as the cigarette-rod advances from the wrapping-tube, andmeans for heating said ironing-rib, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cigarette-wraping tube for folding acontinuous wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of an adjustable ironing-ribextending longitudinally of the cigarette-rod and having a bearing-faceof a width less than the width of the cigarette-rod for bearing on thewrapper-seam as the cigaretterod advances from the wrapping-tube, andmeans for heating said ironing-rib, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a cigarette-wrapping tube for folding acontinuous wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of an ironing-rib extendinglongitudinally of the cigarette-rod for bearing on the wrapper-seam asthe cigaretterod advances from the wrapping-tube, means for heating saidrib, and a pivotal support for said rib and heating device whereby therib may be moved into and out of operative position.

5. The combination with a cigarette-wrapping tube for folding acontinuous wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of an ironing-rib eX-tending longitudinally of the cigarette-rod for bearing on thewrapper-seam as the cigaretterod advances from the wrapping-tube, meansfor heating said ironing-rib, a pivotal support for said rib and heatingdevice, and an adjustable stop for said support whereby the rib may beadjusted with relation to the cigarette-rod, substantially as described.

6. The combination With a cigarette-wrapping tube for folding acontinuous Wrapperstrip about a filler-rod, of a heated seam-ironingdevice having a bearing-face for bearing on the Wrapper-seam as thecigarette-rod advances from the Wrapping-tube and formed to press theseam toward the filler beyond its normal position relatively to portionsof the Wrapper lying laterally beyond the seam, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tWosubscribing Witnesses.

PETER A. LAWVLESS. Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. KENT, J. A. GRAvEs.

